Beware of the pitfalls in debt consolidation

12 Mar 2016

Ujuh Reporter

Debt consolidation is widely punted as a perfect solution for people facing a cash squeeze.

Theunis Kruger, Head of Unsecured Lending at Standard Bank, says although debt consolidation can deliver some immediate relief for consumers, there are things to think about before consolidating debt and committing yourself to a longer period of debt payments.

Kruger notes that “It is a sad fact that millions of South Africans spend a large part their monthly income to service debt in the form of instalment sales and account-based spending. They have to settle these payments before even thinking about putting food on the table. It is a no-win situation that becomes unbearable when an unexpected expense comes along and destroys what little spending money is left over after monthly commitments are met.

“In many instances the solution is debt consolidation. But before the step is taken, the impact of consolidating different debts should be considered, says Mr Kruger.

Typically you can categorise debts into short and long term. Short-term debts include credit card debt, personal loans and store cards. A long-term debt would be a home loan, where repayments stretch over 20 or even 30 years.

It is when the two are placed into the same ‘payment pot’ when consolidating debt that things can become much more expensive than most people realise.

“The main objective becomes seeing monthly commitments being consolidated into a single manageable payment, but the implications of long repayment periods on personal cash flow is not fully considered,” says Mr Kruger.

“So, for instance, you could approach your bank to utilise the ‘credit’ you have in your home loan to consolidate your debt. This means that all your short-term loans such as credit cards, accounts, personal loans and car payments are paid off. You then have the remaining term of payments on your home loan to use to clear the payment on the single, large debt.”

What needs to be clearly understood however, although not to shy you away from consolidation in a time of need, says Mr Kruger, is the following:

Consider a personal loan of R 20 000 payable over 48 months at 14.25% interest p.a. The following would apply:

Monthly repayment: R549.04

Total payment over 48 months: R26 353.97

With the payment extended to 84 months at a reduced interest rate of 11.25% p.a. The following would apply:

Monthly repayment: R345.08

Total payment over 84 months: R28 987.00

Additional payment over the longer period: R2 633.03

Consider a larger ticket item, say a car on which there is R 150 000 still owing and a term of 48 months outstanding. As this is a major expense and it is being combined with other debt, a repayment period of 10 years is put in place, with the additional payment going on to a home loan. If the same interest rates are applied the following would occur:

Monthly payment over 48 months (14.25%): R4 117.81

Total payment over 48 months: R197 654.76

With the payment extended over 120 months (11.25%) the following applies:

Monthly repayment: R2 087.53

Total payment over 120 months: R250 504.10

Additional payment over the longer period: R52 849.35

Kruger says what consumers should think about when considering spreading out their debt load is: